On August 31, 2012 , NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission proved it was ready for its next steps by passing what's called a Systems Integration Review (SIR), which deems a mission ready to integrate instruments onto the spacecraft.

The MMS mission is due to launch in late 2014. It will observe a mysterious process called magnetic reconnection, which creates explosive bursts of energy and which powers a variety of space phenomena from the aurora to giant eruptions of radiation on the sun known as solar flares. The images here show the spacecraft under construction, a process made all the more complex since MMS requires the building of four identical spacecraft.

This image shows the first of four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission spacecraft just moments after the flight electronics – seen wired into the lower deck -- were integrated. The center core holds the propulsion system. A second hexagonal deck with the scientific instruments will sit on top.

Image Credit:

NASA/B. Lambert

Image Token:

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Engineers work to install scientific instruments onto one of the MSS spacecraft decks.